ASU Faculty Attend United Nations Foundation Conference for World Tourism Day

School of Community Resources and Development

Center for Sustainable Tourism

September 27 is World Tourism Day. This year and in recognition of this day, the United Nations Foundation (UNF), in collaboration with the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), hosted a conference on Sustainable Tourism. The conference was held in the United Nations Foundation building in Washington D.C. The focus of the conference was on the nexus between responsible travel and sustainable tourism development. Dr. Christine Vogt, director for the Center for Sustainable Tourism, and Dr. Christine Buzinde, Associate Professor in the School of Community Resources and Development (SCRD), were in attendance as ASU representatives as well as newly appointed academic affiliates of CREST. The goal of the conference was to highlight tourism industry challenges but also to share best practices. Some of the resounding challenges mentioned by tourism industry representatives were over-tourism (tourist demand overwhelming host communities), degradation of environmental and cultural landscapes, lack of regulation for sharing economy products like Airbnb, and international policies that negatively impact tourism. Numerous examples of best practices were shared particularly pertaining to efforts undertaken by small and medium size businesses and indigenous communities. The conference was attended by a plethora of responsible travel and sustainability focused companies of various sizes including non-profit enterprises, quasigovernmental agencies, and private businesses. The conference served as a platform for knowledge exchange, as a source of new materials for SCRD classes, and as a basis of inspiration for collaborations on industry relevant research. #IY2017 #travelenjoyrespect www.responsibletravel.org